1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fold out carrying device or "caddie." The caddie is designed for multiple purposes, such as displaying articles, storing and/or carrying auto-care equipments, items for household cleaning, pool and spa-care equipment, gardening equipment, barbecue supplies and other sorts of equipment or tools that may need to be carried from place to place.
2. Description of Related Art
U.S. Patents that disclose foldable devices and use of wire baskets include Gilbert U.S. Pat. No. 3,893,648, Mansure U.S. Pat. No. 351,990, Milholland U.S. Pat. No. 949,242, and Carlson U.S. Pat. No. 2,390,640.
Both Gilbert and Mansure disclose a concept of a manually openable, folding frame held in an open position by locking arms. In Gilbert, a spring attached to the locking arm pulls the locking arm upwardly, allowing the frame to close. Mansure also uses a spring to aid in closing the opened device.
Milholland illustrates foldable trestle table support legs. Each leg unit is comprised of two members pivotally connected together. One leg includes a longitudinally extending slot in which a bar is pivotally mounted. A closed U-shaped strap is mounted to the inside of the opposite leg and the other end of the bar has a closed loop that is fitted about the strap. As the legs are opened, the closed loop slides along the strap and prevents the legs from spreading apart farther than desired or from completely collapsing.
Carlson discloses a support stand comprised of a U-shaped front frame and a pair of parallel rear legs pivotally connected to the front frame. The device is held open by a connecting rod fixed to the front frame and slidable relative to a cross brace connected between the rear legs. The rod's position in the cross brace is controlled by a thumb screw. When the device needs to be folded or opened, the thumb screw must be manually loosened, the device can then be repositioned after which the thumb is retightened to lock the rod in its desired new position.
A folding step ladder is shown on page 53 of the Hammacher Schlemmer catalog for fall of 1990. This step ladder comprises a U-shaped front frame to which treads are mounted. The U-shaped structure is supported by two separate legs pivotally attached to the U-shaped frame. A cross brace is included between those two legs for support purposes. A manually operated, folding locking arm is pivotally connected between each leg and the U-shaped frame to hold each leg in its open position. This arm locks in a horizontal position and requires manual effort to both lock and unlock the arm and to open and close the support legs relative to the front U-shaped frame.
Each of the above devices is a type of display stand or rack, and includes a plurality of shelves that are supported between two members. Most can be somehow collapsed or folded together. However, none of the prior devices disclose a simple way of opening and automatically collapsing the support legs simply into a folded storage position while providing a positive lock in the open position.